Of coitus and cannabis

Aphrodisiacs have never been a guarantee of a better sex life. From eating oysters to the scent of lavender, various sensory enhancements have been hailed for their ability to create a more sensual environment. But when faced with information overload and increased skepticism over what works or doesn’t, it’s hard to know where to turn.

Nick Karras, a sexologist, teacher and counselor, has a simple, and recently legal, solution: cannabis. Karras has just released The Passionate High, a guide to using cannabis for improving sexual intimacy between partners. It covers a wide range of topics, from discussing the various kinds of strains to how first-timers should ease themselves into cannabis consumption.

“Particularly now, when people are overloaded with information and news is particularly stressful,” Karras says, cannabis can provide a means for people to filter out some of that stress.

“We’re more in our heads these days. There’s a tremendous disconnect from our bodies,” he says. “So part of this is to get people back into their bodies. You can’t say you want to have a fun, sensual evening if you’re not living a sensual life. And cannabis has these incredible abilities to do that.”

Karras cites various ways in which cannabis provides benefits for couples, namely that it helps with deeper focus, enhanced empathy and more creativity—all of which can be applied to sexual intimacy. And with marijuana being recently legalized in California, more people than ever are curious about recreational use. Yet Karras cautions first-timers about knowing what they’re getting into, as consuming too much THC at once can have adverse effects.

“My only concern with the recent legality is that there’s not enough education on it,” he says. “There are a lot of shiny objects, like the edibles, and if you take too much THC you’re going to be very uncomfortable. I always tell people to go low, and go slow.”

Karras, a self-described “hippie,” has personally tested more than 100 strains of cannabis in order to determine their effects. Yet when determining what’s best for each user, he says it’s entirely a personal thing. Not every strain works for everyone, and it’s best to try a little bit of a few different kinds to understand what works best.

“It’s really a personal thing,” he says. “I’m more of a sativa guy, because I carry stress in my head and it helps me to focus. But a lot of us carry it in our bodies. Indica is better for some because it relaxes their bodies. It’s best to find your own preference, and just try the smallest amount. Go together with your partner to a dispensary, spend $30, and just try them out.”

Karras says that only a few times experimenting with cannabis can work wonders for a couple’s sexual relationship, and that after the first few times they probably won’t even need cannabis use to sustain it—unless they want to, of course. For Valentine’s Day, Karras recommends that couples pass on the expensive bottle of wine and make a trip to a dispensary instead.

“Rather than buying a bottle of wine, have some pot, light a couple of candles, and stay in,” he says. “It’s not just about sexuality, it’s about intimacy.”